Fairfax research: newspaper mags Vs newsstand mags
Fairfax has released research that challenges the view that magazines bundled in with newspapers are of lower value to readers and advertisers.
According to a survey of 600 people, readers of Fairfax magazine brands such as The Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Weekend and The Age Melbourne Magazine say they are “challenging”, “authentic” and “exclusive”.
By contrast, standalone magazines are considered a lighter read with words such as “fun”, “simple” and “gossipy” used to describe them, the research found.
“Newspaper magazines readers are significantly more likely to want to be challenged than readers of newsstand magazines,” suggested Lisa Hudson, Fairfax Magazines chief executive and publisher.
“Free doesn’t mean value free,” she said.
The research found that Fairfax magazine readers are hard to reach through other commerical media, with 58% saying they listen to no commercial radio and 53% who watch little or no television.
Fifty-nine per cent of Fairfax magazines said that they read articles “more fully” in hard copy than they do online; 58% of newsstand magazine readers think this, according to the survey.
Will these values hold firm when magazine brands become available on tablet devices such as the iPad and Samsung Galaxy?
Hudson noted: “Tablets suit the magazine reader experience perfectly, and if anything they enable readers to engage with the content even more deeply (tablet versions of our magazines are yet to be launched, however).”
“Either way, our readers remain the same: they want to be challenged with stimulating content; they are looking for authenticity in a world obsessed with celebrity; and the remain an extremely hard-to-reach, exclusive audience.”
I wonder what magazines the 600 respondents compared Good Weekend or The Syd Mag too? I’m guessing in their minds it was the likes of New Idea or NW, which is hardly a fair fight. Can research be based on that??
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You mean to tell me even more “independent” research commissioned by Fairfax that proves how simply brilliant Fairfax products are? I tell you, Fairfax loves surveys and surveys sure do luuurve Fairfax! Excuse me while I read The Oz!
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What is that adage about being able to conduct research that validates your actions or point of view? Hmm…
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I wonder if readers used the words “Sporty” and “Stylish”?
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This is a joke right
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Leave aside the quality of the Fairfax magazines for a moment and a much larger problem for Mr Hywood and the McCarthyist leftovers remains:
To get to the magazines you need to buy their wretched newspapers.
Please, Mr Hywood, before we are left only with Murdoch rags, install some new editors and take some chances.
The first choice should be to take the Age tabloid. The Herald Sun gets worse with every passing week (as reflected by the nose-diving circulation). A quality tabloid would steal an immediate 100,000 circulation from the Herald Sun, and there is virtually nothing Murdoch could do to counter the attack.
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I agree with MR, I must say I had a quick look at a calendar to make sure it wasn’t April first when I read this article.
I know people you enjoy those magazines and they have never called them “challenging”, “authentic” or “exclusive”.
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Up next: Fairfax research on how broadsheets are described as “trustworthy, quality” intelligent, they make me smarter and sexier” while tabloids are described as “nasty, tripe, only fit for bogans”… plus, Fairfax staff make better lovers than bloggers, and are better godparents to children than News staff. It’s all true, we have extensive research to back it up!
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As long as people keep publishing these press releases dressed up as articles, they’ll keep commissioning the research.
The media press need to start applying some journalistic rigour prior to publication or would that be biting the hand that feeds you.
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